Who knew sleeping bag temps are tested with a dummy??

Was looking at the tag on my old Coleman bag and saw it said 'EN tested' so I looked that up. Turns out they use a mannequin with sensors in a lab to rate those comfort and limit temps. Not like, a real person shivering in a tent somewhere. Kinda explains why I woke up freezing when it was 20F and my bag was rated for 15F. Anyone else ever get burned by those ratings?

2 comments

2 Comments

hunt.rowan20d ago

Oh man, I feel this so hard. I had the exact same wake-up call with my "30 degree" bag a few years back and it was miserable. It's like they're testing on a robot with zero body heat loss while I'm over here turning into a human ice cube.

lisa_jones2120d ago

OH MY GOD, a MANNEQUIN?? That is WILD to me. I always pictured some poor guy in a parka sitting in a walk-in freezer somewhere, like a human popsicle. So basically they're testing on a plastic doll with no metabolism or circulation while I'm out here with my 98.6 degree body trying to heat up a giant air pocket. No WONDER I froze my butt off in my "20 degree" bag last fall when it dropped to 25. That mannequin must be made of pure insulation while I'm just a shivering sack of meat. Total scam vibes.